Success Stories

James

James was tending to his farm until recently when he developed congestive heart failure that in turn led to respiratory failure and acute kidney injury. After a lengthy stay at a general hospital where he had heart valve surgery, he was admitted to Kindred. James was dependent on a ventilator to support his breathing and was severely weakened by his condition.

His care team began the process of respiratory therapy to rehabilitate James’ lungs and help him regain the ability to breathe on his own. His family was always at his side and provided the focus James needed to stay on track during his recovery.
James made a significant amount of progress in a short time and he was gradually weaned from the ventilator until it could be removed entirely. His tracheostomy tube was able to be taken out as well and James was able to breathe normally. Rehab and Occupational Therapists worked with James as much as they could, but he was still far too weak to participate fully in rehab sessions.

James was transferred to a skilled nursing facility to continue his recovery and hopes to get back to his farm. His family shared that James is very passionate about antique tractors, loves tractor-pull competitions and hunting and fishing, and he can’t wait to get back to doing all the things he loves to do.

All of us at Kindred wish James all the best and hope that his journey to recovery continues so he can get back to his farm.

John

Everyone Worked Together

John was working on his farm. He hopped off his tractor to shut a gate and his tractor kept moving.
“I tried to jump on it, like a dummy, and fell,” John said. “The tractor ran over me.”

He was immobilized with broken bones, fractured ribs and a punctured lung.
“Somehow I was able to wiggle around and get the cell phone out of my pocket,” he said. He called his wife, and within an hour a medical helicopter was taking him to a short-term acute care hospital.
He stayed there in the Intensive Care Unit for seven weeks and was then admitted to Kindred Hospital.
“Really, by that point he was still in critical condition,” his wife said. “He was totally dependent on a ventilator to breathe. The people at the hospital had done everything they could – we just needed to go somewhere where they had expertise in caring for vent patients.”
Almost immediately, the caregivers at Kindred Hospital began rehabilitation therapy and the process of weaning John from the ventilator.
“He had been on his back for seven weeks, and gradually they kept having him do a little more at a time,” his wife said. “The walking helped him strengthen his lungs.”
“I felt like I was making progress, absolutely,” John said. “I’d heard of Kindred before, but I didn’t really know what they did.”
Six weeks later, John was released to home care to fully recover.
“By the time we left, he was walking, breathing, swallowing and eating,” his wife said. “And it was the teamwork that was great.”
“The care was excellent,” John said. “Everybody knew what they were doing and everybody worked together.”
“Just excellent.”

Mr. N

Great Strides Toward Recovery

Mr. N, 54, came to Kindred Hospital in January 2009 after a bad bout of pneumonia had sent him into acute respiratory failure. He arrived at Kindred after treatment at a local short-term acute care hospital left him on a ventilator for two months. Mr. N had lived for 13 years at home under tracheostomy home care and nocturnal ventilation, requiring an oxygen level of 40 percent.

Upon admission, Mr. N began immediate treatment not only for acute respiratory failure, but also for a bad case of recurring cellulitis in his lower right leg. He was monitored daily by a primary care physician, a pulmonologist and the wound care team.

In just three weeks, Mr. N was weaned off the vent. By the end of his stay, his required oxygen level was down to 30%.

Mr. N also received IV antibiotic therapy and topical medications as part of his wound care treatment program. Within only 14 days, his painful cellulitis and ulcerations had vastly improved.

With his wounds significantly healed and his new independence from the ventilator, Mr. N began working diligently with Kindred’s rehabilitation staff to get back on his feet.

After just six weeks of medical treatment and physical rehabilitation at Kindred, Mr. N. left breathing on his own and able to walk. Having made huge strides toward recovery at Kindred Hospital, Mr. N was transferred to a skilled nursing facility for continued rehabilitation in the hopes of an eventual return home.

Vicenta

Recovery Despite Complications

Vicenta, 86, was admitted to a short-term acute care hospital on January 31 for abdominal pain. Prior to this, she was independent at home with her family. After a lap cholecystectomy, she could not be extubated. She suffered multiple complications of surgery including a small bowel obstruction, pleural effusion and atrial fibrillation, and an irregular heart rhythm. She was weaning from the ventilator for approximately two hours a day but was not progressing prior to admission to Kindred Hospital.

She was admitted to Kindred on February 16 for ventilator weaning and management of conditions complicating her hospitalization including diabetes mellitus, hypertension, diverticulitis, deconditioning and a sacral decubitus ulcer.

On February 28, she was placed on the weaning protocol. The speech-language pathologist started her with a Passy Muir valve in-line with the ventilator on March 2.

The next day, she was started on TTAV (trans-tracheal augmented ventilation), per the weaning protocol, so she could speak during her weaning sessions. She progressed steadily and gained strength with the addition of aggressive physical and occupational therapy and speech-language pathology for the next two weeks.

On March 15, Vicenta was weaned from the ventilator. On March 18, she was decannulated and her tracheostomy tube was removed. She was discharged on March 23 to acute rehab with a plan for ultimately going home. By this time, she had made good functional gains in occupational therapy, was able to complete basic activities of daily living, was ambulating 60 feet, and was swallowing pureed foods.

We look forward to a visit from Vicenta and her family in the near future.

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